Tearfund is supporting partner agencies in north east India as they respond to a strong earthquake that struck the Himalayan region on Sunday. With a magnitude of 6.9, the quake’s epicentre was in the state of Sikkim causing damage to roads and knocking down thousands of houses.
Dozens of people have been killed near the epicentre, with further loss of life across the Nepalese and Tibetan borders. A trail of destruction has left many more people homeless.
Tearfund has released emergency funding to partner relief teams who are assessing immediate needs.
'Our partner teams in the region will be doing all they can to help the communities affected,' says Robert Schofield, Tearfund Disaster Management Director.
'Temporary shelter, warm clothing, food, water and other essentials are vital, as exposure at altitude in the remote terrain is their biggest concern.'
Heavy rain has caused landslides, and fog has further hampered the emergency response. Indian Army helicopters together with other emergency services have distributed some emergency food packages and medical aid, but the stock of these government supplies will soon run out.
With roads and bridges destroyed and vital communications and power lines down, many areas will be hard to reach. Landslides remain a threat to hastily built new buildings in the state’s mountain towns and villages.
'The quality of buildings in the areas affected will be a critical factor,' explains Robert Schofield. 'Whilst we hope for the best, relief teams and local communities are likely to see the consequences of poor building design. It is preparedness that makes the difference in any disaster and so often it is bad and hasty construction that claims lives. After the rescue and relief response we will need to work alongside village communities - learn the lessons that enable families to build better homes.
'This Himalayan region has been expecting a major quake. The one that hit on Sunday may serve as a rehearsal for emergency services, as well as a warning for local construction engineers and planners.'